


From the Tower to a Kingdom

by junjoutattoo



Series: Once upon an OTP [5]
Category: Brokeback Mountain (2005), Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Bittle has long hair, Bittle sings, Boys In Love, Cute, Happy Ending, I love this couple and webcomic, In Bittle's case that is, Jack is a prince, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mpreg, Pies are involved, fairy tale, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-08-17 13:52:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8146472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junjoutattoo/pseuds/junjoutattoo
Summary: Eric "Bitty" Bittle is a young boy who has long and luscious hair living in a tower with his "mother". Bitty is a kind and passionate baker who dreams of going out in the world where he eventually find that a kingdom lies beside their home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really love these two couples and this is actually the first time I'm doing them.

Once upon a time, there was a cottage in a village a couple of miles far from the kingdom. Living there was a couple who are awaiting for their expected child to arrive. They had been waiting for this moment to come. However, the wife grew ill several weeks before the day of their child’s birth and because they were poor, the husband grew desperate of unable to make medicine for his beloved wife and his newborn. In these worried days, he traveled around to find a suitable substance to heal her.

Just when all hope becomes lost, the husband noticed a house that was surrounded by tall stone walls covered with thorny vines. With natural experiences of climbing walls and trees, the man climbed on top to see a beautiful garden filled with delicious fruits and vegetables, fully grown and well tended. Unable to resist, the man jumped off and gathered some of the vegetables which are enough to make his wife some soup and dessert using the fruits. But the one thing that caught his attention were the beautiful rapunzels that were growing beside the grape vines.

“Oh my wife will love these rapunzels,” he said and began to pick a couple of them before heading out. Unbeknownst to him, an old hag, a wicked witch, spied on him through her window of her house.

That night, the man fixed up his sick wife some soup with addition of the rapunzels. When he gave his wife the soup, she drank it all greedily well and quick, savouring every flavor of it. Especially the rapunzels. She turned to her husband, once she finished, saying, “I love the soup, dear husband. But the rapunzels were far delicious. Could you please get some more??” The man nodded and after fixing her a nice bowl of fruits, he went out to the same house again. Though, he wasn't aware of what would occur once he placed his hands on a couple of rapunzels.

“Aha!” The old hag exclaimed and the man jumped to see her. “So you’re the wretch who has been stealing my rapunzels!”

“Oh please! No, you don't understand. Please, I mean no harm,” pleaded the man. “My pregnant wife is ill and I needed more rapunzels for her health. Please, I'll do anything.”

“Well,” thought the old hag. “Let's make a trade, then. I give you a bag of fresh rapunzels and you give me your child. I will look after it as a mother would.”

The man thought about this through. His wife would need more rapunzels to make her feel better yet he will lose his child. His opportunity of becoming a father. Still, what choice did he have? And so, the man came in terms with the agreement and the old hag gave a bag of a good amount of rapunzels and the man rushed home to find his wife sleeping peacefully. A good sense of a sunny day rushed into his heart but a storm is brewing inside his mind.

Over the past couple of weeks, the man was able to fix some soup from the rapunzels for his wife and she was able to survive the illness. And still, he never told her about the deal and he tried to forget about it.

The sky was bright and it was the day when the birth of a beautiful baby boy arrived. He had sunshine golden hair and eyes brown as a simple oak tree bark. The couple were blessed by this child me loved him as parents would to their newborn.

However, it was also a day of devastation as it would be the first and last time that this precious little boy would see his family.

It occurred in the night when the old hag approached to the house after waiting long for her deal to be done. She saw him sleeping in his bed and quick as a flash, she snatched the young child and vanished with him to a tower hidden well made of stones and a blue rooftop strong enough to withstand a storm. From there, the old hag raised the boy throughout his childhood years eventually naming him, Eric Bittle.

The boy grew up beautifully and strangely grew long gorgeous hair. Strong and soft. He also was benevolent and kind and had a habit of baking pies. But as he grew older, he begun wonder what it was like to live outside the tower. However, his mother always told him that it was a cruel and dangerous place. But maybe, just maybe, the outside world may not be so dangerous and have the cruelest people she claims it has. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Just to let you know that I've made some changes regarding to his story. Hopefully you will like it because maybe it might get me somewhere. So enjoy! ^^


	2. Chapter 2

It was a pleasant morning one day. The sun was golden and sapphire was clear in the sky. The wind breezed and the jade grass was decorated by colorful flowers that bloomed for the beautiful season of summer. At the tower, Eric Bittle woke up early to make his mother--who visits only in the mornings until sunset--a blueberry pie that she left in a basket from yesterday. While the pie was getting baked, Eric started tidying up the entire room before she could get arrive.   
After he had finished his chores and took out the pie once it was freshly baked, Eric sat near the window to enjoy the lovely view with a journal in hand. One of the things he also loved doing was drawing or writing an entry about his thoughts. When he opened up a page, he started to make a little sketch and some writing next to it.

And while doing so, he began to sing the tune that his mother sang once when he was small that went like this:

_Flower, gleam and glow_   
_Let your power shine._   
_Make the clock reverse._   
_Bring back what once was mine._

The birds, the only friends Eric made, flew in to join him and sing their sweet tunes alongside his beautiful voice.

_Heal what has been hurt._   
_Change the Fate’s design._   
_Save what has been lost._   
_Bring back what once was mine._   
_What once was mine._

One of the birds, a red robin, sat on his shoulder. He stared at the drawing which was an apple tree that stood across from the tower. He paused for a moment and as the bird’s little tweets chirped on his ear, he said to the bird, “Mr. Robin, I hate to admit my jealousy to you and the other birds. In fact, to any animal or person that lives out there. You get to enjoy the outside world. Touch the branches of the trees and the grass. The water from streams, see many people and know what lies beyond here. I don't. I just only see what's around me. I never really talk to other people except for all of you. I wish that I was a bird like you.”

He took a deep sigh. “I wonder…” He held his hand out to one of the birds and a yellow one hopped in as he continued, “Is it dangerous? Are there any evil people out there?” The birds chirped a reply, shaking their heads. “Then why would mother not let me out there? Do you suppose I should ask? Or maybe convince mother to take me out?” he answered. “What do you think?” The birds chirped and nodded. Eric smiled.

Oh, the boy wondered so much.

Eric then heard his mother’s voice from down below calling him, “Bittle! Oh Bittle, let down your hair!” The birds flew off as Eric sat off from the window and dropped his long hair for her to grab on while she climbed the tower. When she was on top, Eric greeted her as he pulled up his hair, “Good morning, mother. I made some pie for you. Would you like some?”

“Yes, dear child,” his mother replied. Eric rushed to the pie and with a plate, he placed a slice and gave it to his mother along with a cup of milk. “How was your walk?” Eric asked her.

“Tiresome,” she quickly said. “The sun is scorching hot, I could barely walk a mile. But I was able to get some strawberries and cherries for you.” She placed the basket on the table before eating the pie.

“I see,” Eric replied. “Thank you.” Eric bit his lip a bit and shifted his eyes to the window where his little friends were, encouraging him to speak up. He took a tiny breath and spoke up, “Um, mother?” She turned to look at him while drinking. “I was thinking, um, if maybe...maybe…” He fiddled his fingers nervously and looked down on the ground. “Maybe...if...if you could take me outside….the tower? If I...maybe...could go outside?” She spat out the milk and coughed harshly. Eric cringed a bit when she cleaned her mouth with a napkin and the little birds hid themselves to the side of the window.

She asked in a scowling tone “Excuse me? You want to go outside?” Eric hesitantly nodded.“Oh, dear Eric.” Her voice suddenly shifted to a worried and exhausted tone as she wiped her eyes with her hands. “How many times do I have tell you about this matter?"

“I know,” sighed Eric. “The outside world is a very dangerous place, full of evil people.”

“Precisely,” she grinned.

“But mother, you go outside every time and I just…”

“Eric, my child, simply because I go outside and see them, doesn't mean I enjoy their company. They are savage and cold. I was almost attacked once before seeing you.” This was of course partly true; it was not a person who attacked her but a simple squirrel. “And you are my precious child.”

“But mother, may I at least, for one day, experience the life outside? Please? Just for once?”

“No, Eric,” his mother replied. “Now, please, let’s drop the subject manner.”

“But mother…”

“Eric, my answer is no and that is final!” She slammed her hand hard on the table making Eric jump a little bit in fright. His words started to tremble in nonsense vocabulary before they vanished. Her anger then shifted into calm and forgiving upon seeing her terrified child. She went towards her young son and embraced him. “Oh my dear Eric,” she apologized. “I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just that I don't want you harmed in any way. I love you and I want to protect you.”

“I know. I understand,” Eric replied.

“But please, do not mention of leaving this tower again.”

“Yes, mother.” The old hag kissed the top of his head before sitting down. There was a sense of sadness and hopelessness flowing inside of him. His mother then encouraged him, “Come, let’s finish up breakfast. And maybe we’ll try something else afterwards.” Even though Eric wasn't hungry at the moment, he solemnly answered, “Yes, mother.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's a little brief of Eric's life in the tower and yes, I did put that song from Tangled so the rights of the song goes to Disney. I just really love that incantation. Anyways, hopefully I can update the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that I took a long hiatus for this story. So many things came up on my schedule and the addition of a new OTP wasn't helping either. So here's a happy Halloween treat! ^_^

Throughout the entire morning and afternoon, Bittle and his mother spend most of their time within the tower decorating the walls--although most of the walls were already painted--making candles--though they have many candles in the tower--baking a couple of pies to the point where they ran out of dough and berries and reading some of the books that she brought in two weeks ago. Of those Bittle has read them more than three times and were starting to bore him a little; much so that he could retell the stories without even reading the context. During their last few minutes together, his mother started to brush his luscious hair and they were sitting right in front of the opened window. It made Bittle feel a sense of sadness as the sun began to reach its slumber and the blue sky began to turn into a pink color. His mind flew off into what he could've spend most of the day outside of the tower rather than inside. It would've been more exciting to feel the outside scent rushing to him, running around in the plain grass, climb trees and being able to enjoy it with his little friends.

 

His mother put on her black cloak and grabbed her basket from the table. She kissed her son goodbye and Bittle helped her climb down the tower through his hair. As he saw her walking away from the tower, she turned to him and waved at him. He solemnly smiles and waves back at her before watching her disappear through the flower vines that serve as hidden curtains. His smile then changes to a gloomy one as he looks down deep at the green grass and he took the last few minutes to see the sun go by without him. The birds flew up to meet him and with their melodious chirps, they try to cheer him up. He turned to look at them and petted them softly without a smile on his face. He turned away from the window and gravely walked around the room and he does so repeatedly. Making his hair a circular trail as he walked.

 

As he felt this moment of distress, he begun to sing:

 

_Flower, gleam and glow_

_Let your power shine._

_Make the clock reverse._

_Bring back what once was mine._

 

_Heal what has been hurt._

_Change the Fate’s design._

_Save what has been lost._

_Bring back what once was mine._

_What once was…._

 

He suddenly felt his foot stepping on the ground making a loud creak noise. Bittle stopped and gazed down on the rug in a puzzled look. He stepped the floor again and the noise came in again. Interested, Bittle knelt down and felt the wooden floor with his hands. Smoothing his hand on the rug, he then touched a hard circle handle that was attached to the floor. The birds became curious themselves as some of them flew next to him. Bittle stood up and removed the rug, shoving it to the side to see a door. _How come I didn't notice this beforehand?_ Bittle pondered. He held onto the handle and tried to pull with the help of his friends who were gripping onto his clothes. Together, they pulled hard until the door finally opened for them and they could see a path of stairs leading to a dark and damp passage. Hesitant but wanting to know what lies below, Bittle grabs one of the candles, placed it on a wooden candle holder and lights it. He took a deep breath and cautiously took one step at a time in the stairs, hoping it wouldn't break or that he would trip. The birds went along with him for company once after he shut the door behind him.

 

It was all dark and silence with the only noise echoing was the sound of noises made by his steps and it seemed never ending considering how tall the tower was. Despite that he had light, Bittle felt blind that he had his hand on the walls for guidance. There was an uneasy feeling growing inside of him but the sweet voices of his little friends gave him comfort. There was a sudden moment where he didn't feel the wooden stairs but the touch of dirt; it was a mixture of soft and rough to his feet. He looked around until he saw a door and Bittle walked to it. It looked old and unused. _Mother hides a lot things from me,_ Bittle thought. Grasping onto the handle, he pulled it strongly as it refused to open. By each pull, Bittle could feel a little wind blowing through the holes that chilled his ears as well as burning out the light. Bittle dropped the candle and pulled with both hands with all his strength.

 

It was finally that he managed to opened the door and a huge wave of light came brushing unto his face and he shuts his eyes due to temporary darkness. Then, Bittle slowly began to open his eyes once he felt the wind blowing him and the sound of birds including that of his friends chirping loudly. He sees the sea of green flowing and a last bit of sunlight still shining bright. The trees weren't so far but close enough. Bittle stepped forward so that his feet could touch the green grass, ticklish and sensitive, and that he could see that the sky was far from his point of view. Bittle looked to the side to see the sun and it was even more beautiful where he was standing than in the tower. Bittle felt a sense of joy as he began to smile and ran around. He felt that he was in a wide open spaced room, free to roam around and to grasp anything he hasn't touched before. Such as the bark of a tree, feeling the stiffness and having bits of wood attached to his hands, to the grass where he laid. It was relaxing that he could sleep on it as if it were his bed. He stared up at the pink clouds floating across the expanded sky where the half moon was slightly visible.

 

“So beautiful,” Bittle said.

 

Bittle turned over and saw the exit where his mother always took. He stood up from the ground and ran towards with the wonder of what would lie ahead. His little friends followed him from behind as he went through the vines, pushing them slightly to the side to make a path for him.

 

With the last two vines, Bittle was able to see a bountiful amount of trees close together, having the leaves in branches almost reaching hands and many large shadows beneath them. He was amazed by the majesty along with the many flowers that grew on the ground. He looked back at where he entered and then at the path in front of him. He took his first steps ahead with a burst of energy as he began to run through the forest without further hesitation to look back.

\--

Bittle walked for hours throughout the forest as the night began to take over and the moon became the bright sun. Tiny fireflies lightened the dark atmosphere, serving as night lamps for the young blonde. The sound of crickets and frogs filled in as the soothing music. His feet became famished that he took a seat on a rock that stood beside a pond right in the middle of the forest. His friends sat on a branch of a blossom tree next to him. Bittle placed his hair close to him before he began massaging his feet. He did it. He made his wish come true; he was out of the tower and experiencing the outside world. Yet there was an inner struggle within him, mainly about his mother. He traveled so far that he felt he got lost and because it was night, it was most difficult for him to find his way home. She would soon find out about his departure and will surely find him out here. She would take him back and scowl at him for doing that.

 

The question that boggled his mind was does he want to go back the way it was? Being locked up and never go outside again? Bittle looked at himself at the dark reflection of the pond and fiddled with his long hair just thinking about the question. As so far, nothing dangerous has happened.

 

Then, he started to hear crunching and cracking noises coming from the woods. His heart jumped and he gasped, standing up and stepping back. The sound got louder and closer; Bittle felt shivers trembling around his body, hyperventilating as he looked at his unknown surroundings. His little friends chirped at him and Bittle turned around and ran to them. Without thinking, he began to climb the tree, hiding himself among the apples while pulling his hair to him. He gripped onto the tree branch and his hair as he peeked through the leaves. The sounds came from the right behind from where he sat as Bittle saw light approaching. What first caught his eye was the white horse coming out of the trees.

 

Learning from the books and seeing pictures of them, he thought, _Oh my goodness! I have never seen it so up close. It's so pretty!_

 

However, he noticed that the horse was not alone. When he leaned forward, Bittle could tell that there was something else. A hooded individual climbed down from the horse holding the lantern and allowed his horse to drink on the pond. Since the lantern wasn't close to his face, fear climbed onto Bittle with so many questions coming inside his mind such as who is the man? Where did he came from? Does he mean to do any harm? The individual turned to the tree and took his horse close to it, much to Bittle’s dismay but it was also a moment of curiosity for the young blonde man. As the mysterious man fed one apple to his horse, Bittle leaned a little more forward to have a better look without knowing that he was losing his grip. His foot suddenly slipped and Bittle made a tiny yelp which scared the horse. “Easy, boy,” came in a handsome voice of the rider as he touched the fragile skin softly that gradually calmed it. Bittle meanwhile managed to grab onto the tree branch tight but unknown to him, allowed his long hair to fall to the ground.

 

“Hello?” Came in that voice again. Bittle gasped silently, covering his mouth. The figure held the lantern up and to his surprise, he caught Bittle’s lovely hair. _Oh no_ , Bittle thought. He lowered the lantern a little and examined the hair. As his fingers touched the hair, he touched it in a soft manner, smoothing the texture. Realizing its long feature, the individual raised the lantern higher to the leaves, making Bittle shift a bit to the side carefully.

 

“I’m sorry that I'm scaring you,” spoke the individual. “I didn't mean to.” Bittle remained silent but had his eyes on him. “Could you come down, please?” The blonde boy was insecure as he gripped onto the tree branch tighter. The individual knew that he was intimidating because of his hood so he took it off revealing to Bittle, through the light, a very handsome young man with dark hair that matched the night setting and a little older than him.“I'm not gonna hurt you. I will help you get down.” He took out his hand for him and Bittle’s hand started to hesitate, a force that wants him not to take him. Something that his mother would say to him if she was here.

 

Though a spark of his conscious tells him to take his hand. It was something that he never felt before or realized that it was there.

 

Bittle held out his hand and grabbed onto the young man’s gentle hand. The young man placed the light on the ground while Bittle slowly tried to go down. His foot slipped again but the young man was there to catch him, having Bittle fall right into his arms and to his chest serving as a strong pillow. His hands were holding him and Bittle could hear the young man’s heart beat steadily pumping compared to his own fast paced heart. He felt his skin heating up as if he caught a harsh fever.

 

“You okay?” the young man asked.

 

“Yes, thank you,” he finally spoke to him.

 

He raised his head to look at the young dark haired man and once the man raised the lantern for them, Bittle was immediately mesmerized to the enigmatic eyes of this stranger. The worried stare was powerful and striking for him as his hazel eyes were glued only to him and everything that his mother had warned him had completely vanquished from his mind. “What's wrong?” he asked.

 

“N-nothing,” Bittle blushed but hid it away from him. His little friends watched him from afar. “I'm sorry I startled your horse.”

 

“It's alright.”

 

“He’s beautiful.”

 

The young man walked over to his horse and continued to pet him to calm him down a bit. “His name is Champ.”

 

“Champ,” Bittle reiterated and he walked towards the horse. “May I pet him?”

 

“Sure.” Bittle stuck his hand out slowly to touch the horse. His hand felt the soft skin of the four legged animal and the horse felt relaxed as he kept petting him.

 

“What were you doing on the tree? Or what are you doing here in the woods in the middle of the night?” The handsome young man asked Bittle.

 

“Just wandering around the forest, trying to pick some apples.”

 

“And about your hair if you don't mind. It's long.”

 

“Yeah. It started to grow ever since I was little. I don't know why.” Bittle made a tiny laugh but it wasn't much of a flirtatious one but a nervous one. How would he speak to a person who wasn't his mother? “It's beautiful,” complimented the young man.

 

“Oh, thank you. I never get that from people. More or less, you’re the only person who complimented it.”

 

“I see.”

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“Eric Bittle,” Bittle said.

 

“Jack Zimmerman.” He bowed to him and Bittle looked at him in bashful puzzlement.

 

“Where do you live, Jack?”

 

“At a kingdom not far from here,” Jack answered. “In a castle.”

 

“Castle?” From his books, Bittle recalled that in castles, kings and queens live there along with princesses and princes in royalty. “Are you a king?”

 

“My father is. I'm a prince.”

 

“Oh. Why is a prince doing here in a forest too?”

 

“Needed to get out of the castle to get away from...problems, I guess.”

 

“Do you get them often?”

 

“Not so much but often.”

 

“And you? Where do you live?” _In a tower? No, that wouldn't be a perfect answer,_ thought Bittle. But even this brought up that question he thought about earlier: _Should I return there again?_ Bittle shook his head as he answered, “It’s best if I shouldn't speak up about my home.”

 

“Why not?” Jack inquired “You don't have a home?”

 

Bittle sighed, “No, I suppose not.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“I try not to think of it much. I quite adapt myself here in the woods.” Bittle felt a little awful for not speaking the truth but it’s not like he was thinking of going back there again.

 

“Why don't you live with me in the kingdom?”

 

“In the kingdom?”

 

Jack nodded, “Since you don't have a home, I thought you should have shelter and…” He scratched the back of his head. “You shouldn't live out here by yourself. What do you say?”

 

“O--okay,” Bittle exhaled through his nose. Jack held out his hand for him and Bittle took it. When they stood close to the horse, Jack held Bittle by the waist, easily carrying and having him sit on the saddle before he sat from behind. Bittle grabbed his hair while Jack held the reins and said to Bittle, “Make sure you hold onto me.” Bittle quickly grasped onto Jack’s clothes and his long hair once the horse began moved.

 

When the gallops were loud and clear, Bittle glanced to the hooves of the horse to the path home growing farther and farther and he turned away fast to get his mind away from it. He could feel the wind blowing on his skin, giving him tiny shivers, giving him goosebumps. However, once he rested his head against Jack’s chest, there was a surprising warmth that tucked him like a bed. The distant beatings of his heart rocked Bittle to sleep as his eyes grew weary. The last thing he saw was Jack’s glow underneath the moon which gave him a radiance feeling for tomorrow. He finally closes his eyes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween everybody! Hopefully I can upload another chapter to this!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one revolving around Bittle's "mom".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the huge delay. There was a lot things going around with school and then Christmas shopping was extremely busy. But hopefully I can get through with this.

The morning came upon the forest but no sign of a welcoming melody from the birds arrived when Bittle’s mother walked towards the tower. She had a basket full of bananas and pomegranates in the hopes of keeping Bitty occupied into the oven. She had been getting pains from her back throughout her sleep as if something had happened. She struggled to sleep as she had envisioned things about Bittle. But not in the matter that any parents could; more like the fear about not having his true parents or anyone finding him. It would eventually lead to her arrest. She simply dismissed them as exhaustion from the long walk throughout the village she went after visiting the brat.

  
Secretly, the old hag had a deep hatred towards the young Eric Bittle. Other than his constant nagging desire to go outside, there was an inner goodness that drives her mad. He was so pure and innocent and while he had viewed her as his own mother, she never viewed him as a son. There were days when she had chances to kill him--reason why she carries her knife--but the pies save him. They were the one thing that she enjoyed.

  
The old hag stood in front of the tower and fixed her messy hair. She called out, “Bittle! Oh Bittle! Let down your hair!” But no response came. She cleared her throat and shouted, “Bittle! Let down your hair!” No sign of his golden hair. The old hag grew concerned as she repeatedly called to him, “Bittle?! Bittle!” She walked around the tower to see the door opened. She gasped in dismay, “No! No!” She looked behind to where she came from and ran towards the direction. Pushing every vine out of the way.  
“Bittle?! Bittle!” The old hag called out when she looked around the forest. She gripped her hair, digging her nails inside. “That brat! I should've ended his life when he grew more curious.” She took deep breaths through her nose that calmed her down. 

She turned around and walked toward the tower. “He couldn't have gone far,” she smirked. “As a mother, I would stop at nothing to find him. And when I do find him, I'll make sure he comes back with me whether he wants to or not.” She reached to the door and closed behind her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will go back with Bittle and Jack ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this will satisfy your appetite, my fellow readers. ^_^


End file.
